German Food Meets Durham Art

Guglhupf’s German Holiday Market was another in a recent string of combination art-food-music events that display Durham’s unique personality and boost holiday spirits. The restaurant’s unique outdoor patio played host to this seasonal event complete with local artists, live Christmas music, authentic German snacks, and a bonfire to keep things toasty.

Artists squeezed into the cozy space to showcase their goods to holiday shoppers, while a line of people waited to order authentic pastries, bratwursts, and winter drinks. Our favorite art pieces included a cute kitchen chalkboard and 2D figurines made from roofing paper. We also browsed displays of colorful paintings, jewelry and sculptures, but saved our money for the food and drink table.

To fight off the especially cold weather, the drink menu offered warm cider (with and without rum), hot toddies, and mulled wine. We each opted for cider with rum and were comforted by the sweet and toasty beverage—a nice compliment to the fresh doughnuts filled with berry jelly. The smoky smell of bratwursts on the grill floated through the air, tempting one of us to give it a try. Served to order on a signature pretzel roll, the bratwurst was topped with signature sauerkraut and mustard making for a perfect lunch.

If you’ve not been to Guglhupf, you should know it is special for many reasons. It has a fabulous restaurant perfect for a causal brunch/lunch/dinner with a friend or as a quiet study place. It has a bakery full of fresh breads, savory snacks, and decadent desserts. It is housed in a unique building full of charm and individuality. It also knows how to host a great event complete with local artists, good foods, and stellar winter drinks.

Baking with Bacon

Recently for a friend’s big birthday, one of us helped plan a party in true GWG fashion. The theme was bacon because this particular friend loves it and really, what reasonable person doesn’t? We pulled together a basket of pork-inspired items including chocolate covered bacon, a growler of Fullsteam Hogwash, and other piggy presents.

Every birthday party needs a cake, and we decided to try one that fit right in with our theme—Dark Chocolate & Bacon Cupcakes. Taken from a Minneapolis couple’s food blog, this recipe combines the sweet, richness of chocolate with the salty satisfaction of bacon. We followed the recipe closely since this felt like a bit of a culinary experiment, and to our satisfaction the cupcakes turned out rather tasty. Maybe not something you wake up in the middle of the night craving, but definitely the perfect treat for our pork party.

We considered canned icing to save time, but with this recipe the icing pulls everything together adding a nice sweetness and moisture to the cake. A few tips if you make it from scratch: the icing calls for dark cocoa resulting in a deep, almost black coloring—it may look like a bowl of tar but it is still very edible and delicious. You should also allow plenty of time for the icing to cool (maybe an hour+) so it will set on top of the cupcakes—otherwise they may look like they took a mud bath (which actually worked in our favor).

If you are like GWG and think bacon goes with everything, these cupcakes are worth a try.

Dark Chocolate & Bacon Cupcake

8 slices thick-cut bacon
1 cup unsalted butter
½ cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa
¾ cup water
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup well-shaken buttermilk
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ tablespoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare 24 muffin tins.

Chop bacon into about ½ inch pieces. Cook over med-high heat in a skillet until bacon is brown & crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain. Pat any remaining oil off the bacon. Set aside.

Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, then whisk in cocoa. Add water and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in separately sugar, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the cocoa mixture and whisk until just combined (it will be a little bit lumpy). Stir in bacon.

Fill muffin tins to about 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes until a skewer or toothpick comes out clean. It’s a moist cake, so don’t worry if a few crumbs stick to your tester. Allow cupcakes to cool. Makes 24 cupcakes.

Dark Chocolate Frosting

½ cup unsalted butter
2/3 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to a spreading consistency. Add small amount of additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. Makes about 2 cups frosting.

When Only a Burger Will Do

When you can’t wait for the burger to come to you, go to Only Burger’s storefront location for the same great food available seven days a week. Being that GWG are fans of the burger via truck, we wanted to check out the new location and were easily sucked in by a tasty tweet about the daily specials.

Located in the corner of the Hope Valley Square shopping center, the Only Burger restaurant is painted in bright colors that mirror the friendly personality of the logo. Their fan base has obviously followed to the new location as we watched a steady flow of people treat themselves to burger and fries. Seating is a little tight during rush hour but it created the type of atmosphere where you might share a table with a stranger and end up with a new friend.

As mentioned, we were there to try the specials of the day—pimento cheese and fried green tomato sliders, a Greek pita burger and fresh onion rings on the side. The pimento cheese/fried green tomato burger is something we’ve seen before, but Only Burger got it just right. These mini sliders had the perfect proportion of cheese, meat and veggie so you could enjoy all the flavors with each bite—we’d love to try this in full size, but also liked being able to order based on your appetite (1 for a snack, 3 or 4 for a meal).

The Greek pita burger was another tasty alternative, made with lamb meat and topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, feta cheese, and something like a tzatziki sauce. For us the pimento sliders came out on top but we like the creative options. The onion rings were also a nice addition to complete the meal—the breading was light and crisp with a hint of pepper. All said, we think the restaurant is a great extension of the business—although we will always be food truck chasers at heart.

Only Burger’s brick and mortar location is part of the rebirth of the Hope Valley Square shopping center. The shopping center’s recent makeover offers a lovely exterior with outdoor seating and a variety of businesses. Local favorite, Rick’s Diner, recently completed a move to the area, Tutti Frutti will be serving up fro-yo next to Only Burger, and Charleston’s Bull Street Gourmet & Market is reported to be opening as well. Next time you’re looking to mail something, do it over lunch and take advantage of everything Hope Valley Square has to offer.

P.S. As if we didn’t have enough reason, the recent N&O report that milkshakes will soon be offered at Only Burger has us planning our next visit.

A Fair to Remember

For the Girls with Guts, food is more than a meal. It is woven into most of our relationships and experiences. This year, the N.C. State Fair was a great example of how food plays a large role in our lives.

The state fair has been a tradition for GWG for two years. Even before we were blogging, we were attending the fair together and trying all the fun fair foods. This year, the state fair dictated when one of us would be married and the annual fair visits were planned as pre-wedding and post-wedding festivities.

To kick off the wedding weekend, the GWG, along with 22+ others, traveled to the fair on Thursday, October 21. The group was made up of friends and family, first-time fair-goers and seasoned veterans. It even included some who flew in from California and were picked up from the airport en route.

We must admit that it was slightly difficult to accommodate such a large group (especially on canned food night) but it was fun sharing things like: the Krispy Kreme Burger, Fried Candy Bars, Ham Biscuits, Fried Mac-n-Cheese, Fried Mashed Potato Bites, Fried Pumpkin Pie, Fried Banana Pudding, Fried Cheese, Fried Fish Sandwich, Turkey Legs, Koolickles, Specialty Cupcakes, Pineapple Lemonade, and Sweet Tea.

Friday and Saturday of course included the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner (at P.F. Chang’s), and the wedding (with the reception at The Weathervane at A Southern Season) but then Sunday, it was back to the fair for the bride and groom; this time in a wedding dress and tux, with a photographer. The fair has also been a tradition throughout the bride and groom’s courtship, so it seemed natural to use such a fun event to “Celebrate What’s Great”--the start of a new life together. Oh and just so you don’t freak out…the dress was only $100!

Some of the best pictures include one in front of the Cary United Methodist Church eating the amazing ham biscuits, sharing a bite of hot fried cheese and letting the cheese string from one person to the other, eating a fried candy bar from each end, playing in the fun houses, sitting on the carousel horses, and riding on the Ferris wheel. There were lots of funny looks from other fair-goers, but it was totally worth it.

One of the best things about food is that it can make memories. This year, the NC State Fair provided great memories during a great weekend for a lot of great people.

Full Steam Ahead for Farmhand Foods

(We realize this food event was already covered by Carpe Durham, but are so excited about this delicious Durham addition we decided it couldn’t hurt to cover it some more!)

Last Thursday’s pairing of local food and local brew brought out the crowds to taste test Durham’s newest food truck addition, Farmhand Foods. When we arrived at Fullsteam shortly after 5:30 p.m., people were already lined up along Rigsbee Avenue, with beers in hand, chatting and waiting for their turn at the sausage truck. Despite the wait everyone was relaxed, enjoying the casual atmosphere and eager to show support for the local food scene. It was very exciting to see everything coming together for this corner of downtown Durham.

Besides adding a new genre to the growing food truck scene, Farmhand Foods provides handcrafted sausages made from animals that are pasture-raised in North Carolina. The result is fresh and tasty beef and pork sausages served up with a twist. After reading the descriptions on the menu, we struggled to narrow down our options and ordered all five—four sausage variations and one vegetarian sandwich (since we aren’t trying to grow our guts, we split them between the two of us).

The first thing to note is that all the sausages were served up on Guglhupf pretzel rolls—we are not sure if this will be standard practice, but from the positive feedback we think they should consider it. The bread was soft and fresh but substantial enough to hold together while you dive into your sausage. We each had a clear favorite, but were quite pleased with all four sausage offerings.

For one of us, it was the Spicy Italian Sausage served with chow chow and mustard. The combination of spice and tang had hints of tradition, but with its own stamp.

For the other, the favorite by far was the Country Breakfast Link featuring maple butter and roasted apples. The sweetness of the butter and apples on the fresh bun make even Monday mornings worth waking up for.

We also enjoyed the bratwurst and polish sausages, but they didn’t quite have the standout flavor of the other two—our suggestion would be switching up the pickles for jalapenos on the polish sausage. Finally, we shared the Seasonal Vegetarian Sandwich made with shitake mushrooms, goat cheese, arugula and pesto. Although fresh, we thought it lacked flavor and was overpowered by the goat cheese, but being that we aren’t vegetarians, we are hesitant to make a final judgment.

Fullsteam’s open space with large tables and open doors to allow for moving inside and outside easily, was the perfect spot for a food-truck-get-together. After enjoying our meal on the wall outside, the GWG ventured inside to finish our evening with a beer and check out the live music.

We tried two of Fullsteam’s beers: the Hogwash, a hickory-smoked porter; and the Carver Sweet Potato Beer. Both were refreshing after a large dinner and were nice to sip while we enjoyed the blue grass band playing on the stage and watching the variety of people who attended the event. From families with children, to friends young and old, Fullsteam has a distinctly Durham feeling and is a great spot to slow down and catch up.

The GWG think Farmhand Foods has it right, “(m)eat [and drink] local” at these two great Durham establishments.

A Southern Power Couple

Bacon and eggs, shrimp and grits, peanut butter and jelly…there are certain food pairings that belong together like soul mates, and chicken and waffles is no exception. This Southern power couple is the house special served up at Dame’s Chicken & Waffles on Main Street. Although there doesn’t seem to be certainty as to the origin of this dish, we think most would agree this pairing was meant to be!

Dame’s has been open for several months, and now we are not sure why we wasted so much time getting down there. The playful logo greets you at the door while you enter to sophisticated décor and a casual atmosphere. There were a couple of specials available, but we were there for the star dish.

The menu consists of creative interpretations of the signature meal, cleverly named with references to the feathered fowl. Between the chicken cuts (wing, leg, cutlet), the waffle variations (classic, sweet potato and blueberry) and the flavored shmears (7 sweet crème butters)—you are sure to find a combination that suits your tastes. With all these choices, we think they should add a Build-Your-Own option to the menu.

Most people associate waffles with breakfast, so one of us went with The Barnyard Honcho which is basically a big breakfast spread—2 eggs your way, grits, and a plate of classic waffles with a fried cutlet on top. Everything came hot, delicious, and in generous supply. The almond butter and syrup served on the side turned this dish into a masterpiece. If you have not tried this flavor combination, you are in for a real treat.

The Quilted Buttercup is a sandwich with a cute name and outstanding flavor. A fried chicken cutlet between two “petite “rare breed” scratch made sweet potato waffles and shmeared with maple and candied pecan” equals a match made in heaven. The salty, juicy chicken paired perfectly with the sweet flavorful waffles and the optional hot sauce added the extra spice to take the meal over the top. The apple cobbler ordered as a side was simply alright compared to the one-of-a-kind chicken sandwich.

The service in Dame’s was pleasing as we were quickly greeted by someone who took our drink orders and offered suggestions on choosing a meat cut. The food came out in decent time making this a great place for lunch if you’re in the downtown area—we know we’ll be back!

Dessert That's Worth the Drive

There are two reasons to go to any restaurant, the food and the atmosphere—S&T's Soda Shoppe in quaint downtown Pittsboro has both. This family owned and operated restaurant never fails to leave a smile on your face and your stomach full. The ice cream is well worth the 30 minute drive from Chapel Hill or Durham.

One of us discovered S&T's several years ago through friends and have made it a point to return as frequently as possible—but not frequently enough to pack on the pounds. The menu varies between sandwiches, steak, lasagna, quesadillas, and burgers but the key when ordering is to save room for ice cream.

On a recent visit, we ordered the pimento cheese burger and the corn dog nuggets with a side of homemade salsa. One of us has a weak spot for a pimento cheese burger, and S&T's version was as fresh and satisfying as most, but not beating out Bull McCabe’s top standing. The corn dog nuggets were tasty dipped in the salsa and made for a fun meal; however, the entrée selection was purely strategic to save room for the best part.

Like all good ice cream shops, you can taste test as many flavors as you like. After trying lots of their more than 15 flavors--strawberry cheesecake, chocolate and peanut butter, pecan praline, and cookies and cream--we were set to order.  One of us went for the Hall River Mud Dessert while the other chose a banana split.

The Hall River Mud Dessert is a brownie sundae on steroids—piled high with your choice of ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry. It should be noted that S&T's portion sizes are bigger than most we’ve seen and after getting in good with the owners, ours a little larger still. This true GWG was able to finish the dessert, even when other males in the dinner party were not.

The banana split is an amazing sight. Although we ordered it “naked” (without the whipped cream, crushed cherries, strawberries, pineapple, nuts or sprinkles) it is still an impressive dessert. The three flavors of ice cream—sweet black cherry, banana pudding, and pecan praline—were heaped onto a banana and served with a side of stemmed cherries. It should take two people to finish this…but more power to the person who does it on their own.

S&T's is a great place for a large group of friends to hang out and get away from the stress of a fast-paced life or it can be a great date spot with a significant other (we know because one GWG got engaged here in April). Just be sure to get there before 7:30 to be seated (they don’t seat anyone new after that) and know they are closed on Sunday and Monday.

Save Deep Fried for the Fair

There are few eating events we look forward to more than the NC State Fair. With fall in the air and this year’s fair around the corner, we thought we’d pregame at the new Carnival Delights in Durham. Specializing in, well, carnival food, we thought this would be the perfect place to wet our appetites for the upcoming 10-day fried food paradise (Oct. 14-24).

In order to feel like we ordered a legitimate lunch, we started with hotdogs and fries—these are really the only non-dessert items on the menu. One of us went for the foot-long chili dog with cheese fries and the other a regular dog with chili fries. The food was prepared to order so it came out fresh, but it wasn’t anything beyond your basic hot dog and fries—they probably don’t have places like Joe’s Diner or King’s Sandwich Shop beat in this category.

After getting fairly stuffed on taters and dogs, we moved on to what we’d come for—true carnival food. As usual, we’d done some scouting on their website and had our stomachs set on trying the cookie pops (a deep dish chocolate chip cookie on a stick), cotton candy, and funnel cakes. But likely due to the fact that they didn’t have many customers, they did not have a lot of the food items prepared and we were disappointed to find out they did not have cookies pops or cotton candy. After striking out on two, we went with our third choice—a sundae funnel cake served GWG style with ice cream, whipped cream, and a cherry on top.

The funnel cake was good and fresh—thick and cake-like but crunchy around the edges. The ice cream on top added a cold, creamy compliment to the greasiness of the fried dough—we’d never tried it that way but enjoyed it, leaving nothing more than a few crumbs. The end was certainly the best part of the meal.

Other offerings at Carnival Delights include SnoBalls in 19 flavors, regular ice cream and corndogs. We wonder how long a concept like this will make it, particularly in a location surrounded by tons of food options. We were honestly a little disappointed that they didn’t offer anything a little more adventurous (what of the fried butter, fried macaroni and other concoctions that show up at the fair each year?). Then again, maybe these treats are best saved for the annual trek to the fried food Mecca in Raleigh—a little grease can go a long way.

If nothing else, they would be smart to stay stocked with the small offerings on their menu or they will leave people walking away and not coming back. In this economy we know it’s tough, so we hope they will work out the kinks. You may also be advised to bring a can of Febreeze or you will end up smelling your lunch for the rest of the day.

Stack it High at Bali Hai

We came across Bali Hai after a work project had one of us exploring Ninth Street. This Mongolian grill, in the shopping center just past Elmo’s on the west side of the street, has a concept we’d heard of before—fill a bowl with the ingredients of your choice and have it stir-fried while you wait. The challenge, we found, is in maximizing the food for your dollar—if you can get it in the bowl, they’ll cook it—and using your creativity to build your own meal.

The restaurant is pretty casual and had a decent lunch crowd when we arrived around 12:15—probably in part to the reasonable prices ($5.95 for one lunch bowl). The menu is pretty simple and stays the same for lunch and dinner, although appetizer and dessert options are added in the evening (which we were sad to miss out on—the banana spring rolls intrigued our taste buds). Based on your appetite, you decide how many bowls you want to fill (up to 3)—this includes a nice variety of vegetables (carrots, eggplant, zucchini, onions, pineapple…) as well as beef, pork, and turkey. For more you can add-on additional meat and seafood options (one of us added shrimp and scallops for an extra $5, but decided the quality was probably not worth the price).

Then you add the flavor to your meal by selecting one of their six sauces—House, Sweet & Sour, Spicy, Combination or Curry (unfortunately you can only choose one per meal). If you go with the spicy sauce you get to choose your heat level from a scale of 1 to 10—since we had to return to work we decided to keep it conservative and stayed at 5-6, but we both felt like we could have handled a couple degrees hotter and are very curious about Level 10.

Being true Girls with Guts, we ordered two bowls each. One of us elected for the spicy (spice level 6) and curry sauce mix and the other for the combination sauce (spice level 5). We headed over to the food bar and began to fill our bowls. We weren’t sure how all the ingredients would mesh together, but found that once everything was cooked in sauce, all the favors blended. Some of the food appeared to be freeze dried and not fresh, but the end result was not disappointing; however, it didn’t blow us away either. It is also important to note that Bali Hai does not provide to-go boxes making it even more important to take your appetite into consideration before piling on the food.

The most enjoyable part of the meal was watching how creative everyone got with filling their bowls to maximum capacity—there appear to be some seasoned pros. There are no clear rules about how much food you can take per bowl, but basically as long as it stays stacked you can keep building (kinda like Jenga). We saw one guy using a pyramid strategy; others just have efficient packing methods. Now that we know this we would probably stick to one bowl on another visit—many people got more food in one bowl than we got in two.

Finding Our Bull City Connection

As two girls who spend a lot of their time in Durham, we often find ourselves amazed at the way a trip for food can turn itself into a full evening of activity. This was the case on Thursday after work when we headed off to grub at Chubby’s Tacos on Ninth Street—we had a general plan in mind but were flexible and let the night unfold itself.

We’d gotten word of the Splash Mob throughout the week, and headed from our downtown office on a mission to get a few pictures of the event. The weather hinted at a cooler season and was perfect for this community-wide water war—we weren’t there to play but got a kick out of watching kids and their man-child equivalents having a ball as they blasted each other with water guns, water balloons and eventually buckets of water. One of us even took a few balloons to the face in the quest to get a good shot.

Since we were already downtown we decided to catch the newly launched Bull City Connector for a free ride to Ninth Street. We walked a couple of blocks to Stop 20 and enjoyed a moment to relax, chat and dry-off as we waited for the next bus (our timing could have been better as we had to wait the full 20 minutes, but luckily we weren’t in a hurry). The GWG believe there is something about public transportation that makes you feel like you are a part of what’s going on—not just somebody speeding by in a car.

We got off at Stop 30 and walked down a quiet Ninth Street to Chubby’s Tacos with the mission to pig out (P.S. with all this repaving going on could they maybe work on the Ninth Street sidewalk?). Chubby’s offers a selection of Mexican sodas and we both decided it would be a nice change and a nice compliment to our fatty food—we tried the refreshing grapefruit (similar to Fresca) and sangria (non-alcoholic). One of us ordered the Smothered ChubbyChanga (the item that inspired our trip)—a fried burrito filled with your choice of meat and covered with chili and cheese. While this one is not breaking any size records, we have no doubt it racks up on calories.

The second entrée choice was Chubby’s nachos.  With a large portion of crisp corn chips topped with refried beans, cheese, jalapeno slices, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and your choice of meat—we opted for chicken fajita—this entrée is best for sharing. A few jalapenos from Chubby’s topping bar and some salsa for dipping made these nachos satisfying.

Just as we started to wonder where everyone was, a steady crowd lined up at the counter and we realized we might have to wait a while to order dessert. Unable to choose between Chubby’s selection of sweets, we ordered all four and they came out looking just like they do on the menu board—delicious. Our favorite was the sopapillas (fried flour tortilla dough with cinnamon & honey) followed by the fried plantains, fried ice cream, and the dulce de leche quesadillas.

As we left Chubby’s to walk back up Ninth Street toward the Bull City Connector, we were pulled off course by live music. Excited by the sounds in the air, we made our way one block over to Outsiders Arts & Collectibles on Iredell Street. We walked up as Mel Melton and the Wicked Mojos finished up their set. Two food trucks were selling food and a crowd of people were enjoying the evening air with socializing and dancing on the front lawn.

We looked at each other, smiled, and commented on our love for Durham. Where else can you stop by a Splash Mob, ride a free bus to great Mexican food, and find your way to free live music all in the span of three hours?

Best Letdown Ever

On a recent tip from friends, GWG headed to Cary to attempt a monster meat challenge that promised to outdo all prior challenges. Tribeca Tavern offers an extensive burger menu including the forty-dollar “Glutton’s Glory.” We knew this meal had GWG written all over it and were willing to make the trip—but on arrival we were disappointed to learn it is no longer available.

 After overcoming the burger blow, we still had our hefty appetites to deal with and decided to stay for dinner—a decision that paid off.  We chose to sit on the outdoor patio, but the tavern also offers an indoor sports bar atmosphere and a unique second floor balcony area. We started with a couple of house reds from their large tap system of North Carolina beers—each came adorned with hard pretzels, a nice and unexpected touch.

In order to create some semblance of a massive meal we decided not to skip a course and started with the “Cheesy Poofs,” a dish that is a lot more sophisticated than it sounds. These puff pastries have a warm brie, cashew and smoked bacon center and are served with raspberry sauce. The combination of the flaky crust, the creamy cheese and the tart topping was delectable—we had quickly forgotten about our initial setback.

Then we were on to the burgers and our waitress gave us the rundown—Tribeca uses meats that are freshly ground in-house and offers many cheeses and toppings from local farms. Their gourmet burger menu gives Red Robin a run for their money—they offer a selection of original and adventurous burger combinations that make it hard to chose just one, so we each chose our favorite and agreed to share.

One of our choices was the “Mastering Augusta” beef burger topped with home-made pimento cheese, fried green tomatoes and three slices of bacon—a combination that rang our southern bells. The burger was cooked well and all the ingredients fresh and tasty, but with so much going on nothing really stood out. That being said, with a little more pimento cheese this burger could still qualify as a guilty pleasure.

The second choice was the Really Mean Mexican burger; it was bursting with flavor and heat. The ground beef was cooked medium-rare maintaining its juice and flavor and the burger included heaps of guacamole, salsa, chipotle coulis, NC pepperjack cheese and fried jalapenos. Although it was messy, this burger was one of the top burgers we've ever tasted.  To balance the heat, the GWG opted for sweet potatoes fries with a rum honey sauce. The waffle cut fries were fried to perfection and the sweet rum honey sauce was sent straight from heaven.

Reluctantly passing up on milkshakes made with homemade ice cream and the other delicious desserts at Tribeca Tavern, we made our way to Kilwin’s, a fudge, candy, ice cream shop located in the same shopping center.  Kilwin's, a national chain, has eight locations in North Carolina.

After sampling fudge, surveying the candy and peeking at the ice cream, we opted for the chocolate walnut fudge and some treats for friends. We made our way outside, sat at a table located in front of the shop, and quickly made our way into the fudge. The creamy texture of the rich fudge paired with the crunchy nutty walnuts was the perfect ending to an exquisite meal.

The GWG may not have accomplished the mission of tackling the Glutton’s Glory, but we did walk away happily stuffed and excited to go back and try more of Tribeca Tavern’s unique, fresh menu. With the glossiness of a chain and the special touches of a local favorite, Tribeca Tavern is a must try.

Cupcakes & Cocktails Off-The-Cuff

Thanks to updates from Durham’s active Twitter community, GWG treated ourselves to an impromptu happy hour at Vin Rouge followed by Singles’ Night courtesy of The Cupcake Bar.

We found ourselves at Vin Rouge for the first time, and a little over-eager as we showed up before they were actually open, to try the Watermelon Rickshaw cocktail as seen 15 minutes earlier on Twitter. It was an interesting crowd at 5:30—several regulars showed up on the dot for the early-bird-special as we waited to enjoy our drinks. The drink special was made with watermelon, basil, lime and pinnacle vodka. We both found it tangy and refreshing with its mix of fresh basil and citrus flavors—although we enjoyed it a little less when we saw the bill ($10 each). We’ve yet to dine at Vin Rouge, but we found the smells tempting and will likely return for a full meal.

Next we headed over to our main event a few blocks over on Main Street—The Cupcake Bar’s Singles’ Night. We’d heard about their first event and were happy to have another opportunity to check out these bite-size delights. Normally the cupcakes have to be ordered by the dozen, but this event allows you to try them individually. We showed up right on time to find people lined up out the door of Center Studio Architecture and we heard they sold out by 6:30 (the event was supposed to run until 7:30). We tried an assortment—Strawberry Buttercream, Strawberry Daiquiri, Red Velvet and Coconut. The cupcakes were tasty but we did wish for a cooler seating area to enjoy them—several people made their way across the street to picnic tables but we were not inclined to linger due to the heat. Overall the cupcakes were tasty and worth the calories but the GWG aren’t planning any road trips to Cary right away. Perhaps we’ll get seconds at the next Singles’ Night.

 Our thanks to the active Durham food community for up-to-the-minute tweets that helped us plan a spontaneous and enjoyable after-work outing!

Summer Treat Series

Ox & Rabbit Soda and Sundries—located on Ninth Street, and outfitted with a soda shop counter, Ox & Rabbit offers cool classics including a variety of shakes, floats and sodas. Take a seat at the counter as you casually consume your beverage or browse the store’s unique selection of gifts (including playful Durham apparel by Durham City Goods). We tried the Strawberry Oreo Shake and a Root Beer Float.—both were prepared with care and very refreshing.

Local Yogurt—this cool and colorful shop features a mix n’ match menu of frozen yogurt and fresh toppings. Pick your combination from staff favorites or create your own from the large selection of adornments—both healthy (fresh fruit, gluten-free granola) and indulgent options are abundant (organic cookies and brownies). We tried several from the staff picks—Rocky Road, Strawberry Graham, and Peanut Butter Banana. As their logo states, everything is “good and good for you.” Everything was fresh and tasty but we felt the prices were a little steep for the serving size (XS) and the treats were heavy on the toppings which sounds like a good thing, but ended up making a light dessert feel kind of heavy.

Goodberry’s Creamery—offering frozen custard concoctions (similar to ice cream but made with egg), Goodberry’s dessert stands can be found throughout the Triangle. Each day brings a featured custard flavor (dulce de leche on our visit) as well as daily concrete (like a blizzard), sundae and parfait specials. One of us went in with an established favorite (the “Sandstorm” Sundae—chocolate custard topped with hot fudge and malt powder) while the other was a first-timer and went with the Shortcake Sundae. As we sat out in the heat these cold treats kept us cool and satisfied.

Maple View Farm—the actual farm is located in Hillsborough but their fresh milk, butter and ice cream are for sell at many retail locations in the area. The large front porch filled with (sticky) rocking chairs makes the country store feel like home. Enjoy a trip with the whole family or go for a romantic evening complete with a sunset over acres of farmland. On our visit we tried waffle cones of their long running Carolina Crunch and Double Chocolate but they also offer ice cream by the pint, milk, cheese, soaps and other Maple View products. Nothing flashy here, but it took us back to the homemade ice cream we enjoyed as kids.

Carolina Breakfast of Champions

Nothing gets your day started right better than a fresh doughnut washed down with a crisp, cold Cheerwine–a perfect way to break up your coffee routine and meet half of your daily calorie allowance before noon! Now it is also a great way to show your NC pride as Krispy Kreme has concocted a confection that combines these two local products into a Carolina superfood.

Properly unveiled at the NC State Capitol on June 30th, the Krispy Kreme Cheerwine doughnuts will be available in North and South Carolina through July. Once GWG got word of this indulgent pastry we had to give it a taste test, and when one of us came upon a box at Food Lion it felt like doughnut destiny.

The doughnut itself is similar to any other you’ve enjoyed–regular glazed style with fudge and sprinkles on top. The center is where they’ve injected the Cheerwine-flavored crème–pink, gooey and ready to ooze out after a few bites.

At first bite a cherry flavor stood out, but as the crème made its rounds on my tongue, I was taken back to the sugar highs of my southern childhood. They hit the Cheerwine flavor pretty much dead-on–it makes for an interesting combination–one worth trying but probably not something you will miss after it’s gone (good enough for me to finish off my half dozen by the end of the week, without sharing).

Giving the doughnut a try is really no feat–this type of culinary creativity has already inspired food fanatics to push the button even further (KFC Double Down meets Krispy Kreme Cheerwine doughnut).

So no, the Krispy Kreme-Cheerwine combination is not this season’s chocolate and peanut butter–some flavor duos are just more classic than others. But it is worth a try in the spirit of Carolina pride!

Tobacco Road Corn Dogs vs GWG

Location, Location, Location. Tobacco Road Sports Café was paying attention in real estate class and has landed one of the best new spots for sports and food in the Durham area. Located above left field of the Durham Bulls Athletic Park and across the street from the American Tobacco Campus in Downtown Durham, this spot hits a home run with sports fans and food lovers…a.k.a. Girls with Guts.

Started by three brothers who were looking for a single place to watch sports and enjoy good food, Tobacco Road Sports Café focuses as much on offering a unique menu as it does on providing a wall-to-wall sports center for guests. GWG were seated approximately three feet from our own personal television that happened to be showing opening round Wimbledon matches.

After eyeing them on a previous visit, we were back to order the “House Made Corn Dogs” which are deceivingly described as “mini” (although mini is probably accurate to someone who has conquered the 1-lb. Shaq at Joe's Diner). Four regular-sized, all-natural beef hot dogs are dipped and fried in corn and jalapeno batter and served with Dijon aioli. We split the dogs and shared an order of “Triple Sliders”—a platter including your choice of miniature BBQ sandwiches, burgers and corndogs (we thought this sounded like the makings of a pretty perfect meal).

Maybe our egos have gotten the best of us, but being seasoned state fairgoers we did not expect to struggle over a couple of corn dogs. The first was enjoyable and tasty, but even the thought of the second one was a little hard to swallow—we hit the grease wall (but we did finish them in true GWG style). The dogs were deep fried in batter with a slight hint of the corn and jalapeno bits you could see with your eyes, although a little more spice wouldn't hurt. Maybe it was the buttery, cheesy side of mac & cheese that brought us down, but we think that finishing all four of the greasy meats on a stick could be considered a food challenge.

The mini burger and BBQ sandwich added variety to the meal but didn't deliver much on flavor. Although the meat was tasty, each would have benefited from a spicy mustard, BBQ sauce, or other add-on to give it more interest. The buns could also stand a makeover for a place serving upscale bar food—they were reminiscent of the cafeteria, out-of-the-bag variety. Being minis, in two bites the sandwich disappeared leaving you looking for flavor.

Despite our corn dog difficulties, we found the side dishes to be very pleasing— all of the choices say southern comfort, and we chose mac & cheese and cheddar grits. Featuring more cheese and less mac, the macaroni was mixed with country ham providing a nice compliment to the creamy richness of the cheese. We are not exaggerating when we say this dish was swimming in cheese. The cheddar grits were more subtle but also pleasing—a nice alternative to its greasy counterparts.

This was not our first time at Tobacco Road, nor will it be our last—there is more on the menu to keep us interested. If you give the corn dogs a go, let us know what you think and especially if you polish off all four. One word of advice—we think this is a dish best served with beer.

A Sticky Situation

Mission: sample as many locopops as possible

Location: Locopops, 2600 Hillsborough Road, Durham, NC‎

Obstacles: the sun, brain freeze

Objective: beat the heat and eat 11 locopops before they melt

Outcome: messiest food challenge, yet

We've devoured a one-pound hotdog, we've taken down the double down, one of us even attempted the two-pound burger...but our messiest challenge to date, 11 locopops, outside, in June.

On a recent afternoon, GWG ventured to the Locopops on Hillsborough Road to sample a variety of their frozen treats, available in a range of traditional to adventurous flavors. After reviewing the menu (and ten minutes of indecision) we each chose five flavors—a decision that paid off as we instantly filled up a frequent buyer card, earning us a free pop (or 'paleta' if you live in Mexico)! Locopops offers water and cream-based flavors, so we sampled a combination to get a good feel for what this local shop has to offer.

Much thanks to the guy behind the counter for his friendly offer to label each flavor in order to help us maintain the integrity of our experiment. We should also apologize to the kids in line who had to wait a little longer than usual to enjoy their afternoon treat! There is always a welcoming atmosphere at Locopops, and they understand their customer—zip lock bags, baby wipes and other supplies are available to help those of us who are used to eating with bibs.

We took our bag o' pops and set up shop at the bright purple picnic table out front—drivers-by had to get a kick out of two grown women attempting to devour popsicles at a faster rate than they were melting. Some of the flavors were instant favorites and others were a little different—overall we found a preference for the cream-based choices.

Here is what we thought of each flavor:

• Cookies-n-Cream - they've got this one nailed; with huge cookies chunks this is sure to be a unanimous favorite
• Watergate Salad - tastes exactly like that mystery salad that always turns up at pot-lucks; sweet and enjoyable
• Thai Rice Pudding - sweet and milky in a subtle way
• Strawberries-n-Cream - more of a blend than strawberry chunks; not our personal favorite
• Chocolate Banana - instant favorite; great flavor combination
• Pomegranate Tangerine - sweet, fruity and refreshing
• Chocolate Brownie - chocolate chunks make this a dead-ringer for Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie
• Mighty Mojito - a slightly tangier option that will refresh you like a glass of ice-cold lemonade
• Guava Jalapeno - fun to try for the oddity, but this one was hard to finish
• Mango Chile - tastes just like the fruit, but heavier than some of the other fruit flavors
• Rosemary Apple Cider - we suggest a little more on the apple cider and less on the rosemary

Locopops offers 'The Regulars' all the time (the tried and true favorites), but they also mix it up daily by rotating in "Guest Stars"—now it's your turn to try some flavors and let us know what you think!

Nathan Hula Big Burger

A good friend did some foodie recon and passed along word of an epic challenge in North Durham—a two-pound burger served up at Eno River Eatery off Roxboro Rd. Coined the "Nathan Hula Big Burger" after the original record holder, this gut check dares you to down a 2 lb. burger (coated with cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato), loaded fries, a small side of apples and a pickle in under 20 minutes. As the menu states, "if you can eat it all and beat the record, it's FREE!!!"—a lofty goal considering the meal will cost you $16.99 otherwise.

If you decide to take on this massive meat feast, prepare to wait at least half an hour while your burger is under construction—a perfect opportunity for you to prepare your game plan or do breathing exercises. Once the burger is ready, it is served up with appropriate fanfare to notify you and the entire restaurant that the challenge is on—waiters banging pots and pans surround you and place the beef tower and a timer on your table—the wait is over.

The burger is divided into four patties, so a natural strategy is to devour one layer at a time. The first bite will whet your appetite and make you think that anything is possible, but as you move to the second patty your pace will likely slow-down and swallowing may require effort. Both brave souls who attempted the challenge (one guy, one GWG) hit a wall at the half-way point (2 patties) and neither came anywhere close to beating the time limit. Even the most passionate beefeater will struggle with this one—the greasiness and density of the beef make for a formidable yet delectable opponent. The fries and apples are the easy part.

Even though no one won the challenge on this attempt, we did come away with enough leftovers for two additional meals! If anyone decides to try out this burger beast, make sure to let us know how you stack up. Even if you aren't up for the Hula, the Eno River Eatery feels like a nice place to frequent with fresh, tasty food and a friendly staff.

Thursday Night on the Porch

With the recent warm weather, the idea of an outdoor dinner off the grill lured us to check out "Thursday Night on the Porch" at Foster's Market. As soon as we stepped out of the car, the aroma of the grilled meats teased our taste buds and got us excited for the food we were about to consume. There was already a crowd of people outside enjoying the pleasant weather and fresh food from the spacious and cozy porch area. Check out our slideshow including images of Foster's Market and our food.

When you step into Foster's you enter a unique space that feels like a country store crossed with your grandmother's kitchen. You will find unique candies, jams, wines, and other specialized food products and a bakery case stocked with southern classics--cookies, pies, brownies, and more. The serving counter displays fresh salads and casseroles that change daily, always one-of-a-kind recipes with fresh and unexpected flavor combinations.

In an effort to try all options, one of us ordered the hickory smoked sweet onion chicken and the other the spicy bourbon barbequed spare ribs and we each had the two sides offered with the meal. The flavors on the outside of the meat were unique and tasty but did not penetrate to the meat underneath, making it enjoyable but not overwhelmingly delicious. The sides however, were very good. The oven roasted sweet potato fries were large wedges of sweet potatoes roasted in herbs making them very tasty. The Gingered Apple Jicama Slaw was a great side to accompany grilled food because of the tangy sweetness of the crisp apples.

In true GWG fashion, we had to go back for dessert. We opted for the highly recommended peanut butter pie and the chocolate chip pecan pie. The chocolate chips in the pecan pie overpowered the nutty flavor but it was still good for a true sweets lover. The peanut butter pie on the other hand, was melt-in-your-mouth, out-of-this-world, amazing. The creamy peanut butter filling, the light whipped topping and the chocolate crumb crust was the best part of the meal. We also sampled a crumb cake that was great for those who may not enjoy as much sweetness.

Foster's also offers a selection of beer and wine for those who want to sit back and relax in the comfortable and eclectic environment. It is a great place to meet friends for an afternoon snack or to catch up on reading in one of the quiet corners of the covered porch. Foster's offers dinner on the porch every other Thursday in the spring/summer--the next date is May 20th--check their website for the menu closer to the event date.

Fast Food Friday

Recent fast food marketing from KFC, Wendy's and Subway gave the GWG an idea—try out new products from these restaurants to see how they stack up. Over the course of two days, the GWG tested some of the newest items in the quick service market—most notably the Double Down Sandwich at KFC featuring fried chicken breasts in place of a bun. Click here for pictures of our fast food feast.

The venture began with "Fast Food Friday," a lunch consisting of the Double Down, Wendy’s new fresh cut fries, and for dessert, a milkshake from Cook Out (nothing new but necessary to complete the meal). To fit this into a slightly exaggerated lunch hour we headed to Hillsborough Rd.—a fast food mecca where all 3 stops are within a block of each other (although lunch traffic made even this short distance hard to navigate).

We went in with a bit of a strategy—first we headed to Cook Out to grab milkshakes because the location did not have seating. Both sides of the double drive-thru lane were backed up but moving quickly giving us plenty of time to consider our options (41 flavors!)—we got one banana pudding shake and one with Reese's cups (we later came to find that this portion of our meal contained the most fat and calories). Cook Out couldn't mess up a milkshake and these two were no exception providing a nice sweet flavor to wash down all the salt we were about to consume.

Next we hit Wendy's to try the fresh cut fries as seen on TV—from first glance they appeared to be about the same as before but with some potato skin left on the edges. After giving them a try, we confirmed our first impression—they taste the same as always and we aren't sure we would have realized the change if we hadn't seen the commercials.

Finally we made it to the main course—the KFC Double Down—bacon, Monterey Jack & pepper jack cheese, and Colonel's Sauce sandwiched between two pieces of fried, boneless chicken filets (also available grilled but why go healthy at a time like this?). For a $5 sandwich, it was a little smaller than expected but it turned out to be more than enough. The main challenge was figuring out how to handle this meat monstrosity that leaves nothing between you and the grease—it is served in a sleeve that is probably best used as a grease glove.

As far as flavor goes, if you like KFC you will most likely enjoy the sandwich—the seasoning of the chicken was the standout flavor with the other ingredients complementing the filets and compounding the calories. After a few bites you notice a processed after taste and you can start to guess that the sodium content exceeds the daily limit. It was fun to try this carnivore's concoction but we agreed that it is mostly a gimmick that probably won't stay around long.

The following Monday, GWG met up before work to try Subway’s new breakfast offerings. The light and fresh value breakfast was a great way to start the work week. We ordered a Western Egg White Muffin Melt (ham, egg, cheese, pepper and onion on an English muffin—we opted for turkey) and the Steak, Egg and Cheese on flatbread. Each sandwich was pleasing as a breakfast item but lacked a kick. A small dish of salsa, a chipotle sauce or jalapenos would have made the sandwiches more memorable. Although the amount of flavor was not out of this world, the value and freshness of the meal made us each suggest returning for other pre-work meals.

Fast food isn't our first choice but as GWG we thought we'd get our hands greasy for "the sake of the blog."

Feaster

Slideshow

Eating in good company makes tasty food even more enjoyable, and as a friend put it this weekend, “When you find an 18-pound turkey for $9 and a Turducken for $20, it’s time for Feaster.” Feaster, a post-Easter feast among friends, was a day of cooking, eating, laughing and hanging out. See the full meal in our slideshow.

The center piece of the meal was a turducken breast. Although turducken is not a household name, this multiple-meat dish is picking up steam as a holiday item. The boneless turkey breast stuffed with boneless duck breast, boneless chicken breast and in this version, Cajun-style pork sausage, is not just a meal—it’s an experience.

Because we only used the breast of the turducken, an additional 18-pound turkey was also prepared. Cooked the Thursday before, it was the first turkey prepared by a member of GWG. Although the multitudes of websites about cooking turkey make it seem difficult to create the perfect bird, it really seemed like the most important things were time and patience.

For simplicity, the turkey was placed in a roasting bag with cut up veggies and then baked for the allotted time until the internal temperature was correct. Then it was allowed to cool before being cut. The end result was dry but overall a successful first attempt.

The menu was set a week before the event and friends brought additional side dishes and desserts. There was corn, fried okra (fresh from the bag), green beans, gravy, mashed potatoes (prepared with cream cheese and sour cream), stuffing, cranberry sauce, salad, homemade rolls (complemented with honey butter), and apples with a sweet cinnamon-yogurt fruit dip.

There was also a nice variety to satisfy the sweet tooth—a light and moist homemade lemon pound cake, decadent homemade Oreo truffles, and M&M cookies made from scratch and fresh from the oven.

Thanks to everyone who chipped in to make this a great day!

A Day of Indulgence - Part Two

Slideshow

After a fun-filled afternoon of snacks at Elodie Farms, GWG was just getting started. (See our slideshow for images of the day's events.) Our next stop took us to City Beverage—closer to home in Southwest Durham. On warm days and evenings, those passing by will notice the outdoor patio full of people relaxing under the shade of umbrellas. Inside is a colorful, retro-inspired restaurant and bar with a comfortable atmosphere that invites you to stay a while (or play a while in the "Lava Lounge" with pool tables, jukebox and video games).

City Beverage has a selection of wine, beer and cocktails that offers a little of everything including 32 beers on draft, classic martinis and margaritas, and many other fruity mixed beverages. We took our time enjoying a couple of refreshing rounds as we studied their equally eclectic food menu. We had trouble narrowing down our choices, so we decided to share several appetizers so we could get a taste of it all.

This turned out to be a smart and flavorful decision...we ordered 3 items from the starter menu—Spicy Firecracker Pork Dumplings, Beer Cheese Fundido, and City Beverage Spuds. The dumplings definitely had a kick and were served with a tasty cucumber-peanut relish and peanut sauce that tempered the spice. We weren't quite sure what to expect with the Fundido, and this was the one dish that got a little lost among the others—the creamy cheese dip wasn't quite warm enough and didn't have as much flavor as expected.

If you order the City Beverage Spuds you can choose fries or homemade chips—we went with the latter which were coated in spices and served with a delicious gorgonzola dip. Our last selection came from the dinner menu—a large helping of Spinach & Artichoke Nachos—homemade tortilla chips loaded with fresh spinach, artichoke hearts, roasted garlic, tomatoes and peppers, mozzarella, asiago and sun-dried tomato-caper salsa. The description says it all—full of flavor and sure to disappear fast.

Following a round of drinks and appetizers at City Beverage, we left in search of dessert. Luckily, the fantastic cakes at Nantucket Grill were close, so we headed that way.

The Nantucket Grill’s Pastry Chef is an award winner and it shows in all their "Mile-High Dessert Cakes". There are more than 10 flavors to choose from and you can order a half-slice or full-slice depending on your appetite. Of course the GWG went with a whole slice of our favorite flavors—unbirthday cake and carrot cake (we also had a bite of our friend's chocolate peanut butter cake).

Seriously, their cake is out of this world. The servings were larger than expected and the moist cake and creamy icing were a sweet-tooth's heaven. Cake and coffee served at the bar was the perfect ending to a fun day.

Nantucket Grill is a great spot for a girls' night out or a casual date. Be sure to go with plenty of room in your stomach because even a half-slice is filling—but order your own flavor, sharing is half the fun.

A Day of Indulgence - Part One

Slideshow

Saturday provided the perfect spring afternoon for GWG to visit Elodie Farms in Rougemont for Family Farm Day, an event sponsored by Durham Central Market, that welcomed guests to explore the 21-acre farm and show support for several local products.

Owner Dave Artigues opened his home and land to families, fans and their four-legged friends creating an event that felt like a big neighborhood picnic. Visitors toured the farm, got an insider's look at making goat cheese (as well as samples!), and enjoyed a meet-and-greet with the goats and the newest kids in the flock (check out the slideshow for cute farm pictures). Also on hand were tasty treats from Locopops, Dolly Mama handmade chocolates, and wine from Benjamin Vineyards.

Elodie Farms raises both meat and dairy goats, and is probably best known for their farmstead cheeses sold at the Durham Farmers' Market and served at many well-known restaurants in the Triangle. Products include traditional French goat cheese (Chevre) rolled in or flavored with a variety of fresh ingredients, as well as feta, Camembert, Queso Fresco, and a variety of hard cheeses.

Family Farm Day gave us the chance to sample several of these cheeses, including the traditional log and flavored Chevres. We tried three flavors--strawberry, fig with North Carolina sourwood honey, and roasted garlic. The savory garlic was bold without overpowering the flavor of the milk. The sweeter flavors were delicious and could easily be served as a light summer dessert.

Also local to the Triangle, sweet frozen treats from Locopops were available in three beloved flavors--Cookies and Cream, Mexican Chocolate and Cherry-Lime. We tried the first two, both dairy based flavors (paletas de crema), and had a hard time picking a favorite. Cookies and Cream is a classic but the Locopops version comes loaded with chocolate cookie chunks (finding a whole cookie appears to be standard practice). Mexican Chocolate seemed a bit more adventurous but the cinnamon and nutmeg flavors are right at home in the chocolate cream. We look forward to the warm weather for a good excuse to try more of their funky flavors.

Durham-based Dolly Mama Chocolates hit the nail on the head when it comes to quality, presentation and flavor! The beautiful chocolates were almost too perfect to eat but boy were we glad we did. Although we were not able to sample everything, the three we tried have made us Dolly Mama Believers.

First, the hazelnut cone--this beautiful cone shape was a combination of freshly toasted hazelnut butter and milk chocolate inside a chocolate shell. There was even a surprise whole toasted hazelnut in the center to add a nutty crunch. Next, the Golden Buddha--a chocolate ganache inside a dark chocolate shell and finished with a beautiful gold tint. Lastly, a chocolate peanut butter egg that was so rich and creamy it was out of this world. A thin coating of white chocolate covered a milk chocolate peanut butter combination.

The afternoon on the farm was a pleasant beginning to a day of indulgence and only began to wet our taste buds. Stay tuned for part two later this week!